Microplastics are environmental pollutants that prevail in the oceans and other areas. Interestingly, exposure to microplastics presents a major emerging threat to the ecosystems due their potential adverse effect. A recent study by Lenard et al., (2024) examined the presence of microplastics in human blood and their health impact.  20 healthy volunteers were recruited in the study and their blood samples were collected using an 8.5mL+/- 10% vacutainers containing 1.5mL acid citrate dextrose solution. Remarkably, 24 polymer types were identified from 18 out of 20 donors (90%) and quantified in the blood. Even more worrying was the findings reported by Marfella et al., (2024) which suggested that patients with carotid artery plaque in which microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) were detected with higher risk of causing myocardial infarction, stroke, or death. In fact, researchers suggested that microplastics are able to travel through the blood and cause specific health problems such as vascular inflammation, even male infertility. Therefore, microplastics may not only pose an environmental hazard, instead it may also have a detrimental effect on human health. 

References

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